Glutathione is a drug that is used to treat cancer. Its side effect is the whitening of skin as it deactivates tyrosinase, the enzyme that helps produce melanin, the pigment that determines skin color.

Tacandong said when a person takes glutathione, the skin becomes whiter as a reaction of the body to the drug.

Glutathione may cause kidney failure and blood poisoning, said the FDA.

Tacandong added that the FDA can only advise the public not to use glutathione injectables.

It is up to the Professional Regulation Commission, she said, to go after doctors administering glutathione injectables.